God’s Word Translation
2 Kings 8:18
18He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as Ahab’s family had done, because his wife was Ahab’s daughter. So he did what the Lord considered evil.
2 Kings 8:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.
- New International Version (NIV)He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.
Context of 2 Kings 8:18
16Joram (Ahab’s son) was in his fifth year as king of Israel when Jehoram, son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, began to rule. Jehoram ruled while Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah. 17He was 32 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 8 years in Jerusalem. He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as Ahab’s family had done, because his wife was Ahab’s daughter. So he did what the Lord considered evil. 19But for David’s sake the Lord didn’t want to destroy Judah. The Lord had told David that he would always give him and his descendants a ⌞shining⌟ lamp. 20During Jehoram’s time Edom rebelled against Judah and chose its own king.
Read all of 2 Kings 82 Kings 8:18 word by word
וַיֵּ֜לֶךְ בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ׀ מַלְכֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשׂוּ֙ בֵּ֣ית אַחְאָ֔ב כִּ֚י בַּת־אַחְאָ֔ב הָֽיְתָה־לּ֖וֹ לְאִשָּׁ֑ה וַיַּ֥עַשׂ הָרַ֖ע בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he walkedיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- in the wayדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: conductH1870
- of the kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- as didעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
- of Ahabאַחְאָב'ach'âb 'echâb · AhabH256
- for the daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
- was his wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
- evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
- in the sightעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: seeingH5869
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
Cross-references for 2 Kings 8:18
- 2 Kings 3:2He did what the Lord considered evil, but he didn’t do what his father or mother had done. He put away the sacred stone that his father had set up and dedicated to Baal.
- 1 Kings 22:52He did what the Lord considered evil. He followed the example of his father and mother and of Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) who led Israel to sin.
- 2 Kings 9:7You will destroy the family of your master Ahab. I will get revenge on Jezebel for shedding the blood of my servants the prophets and all the Lord’s ⌞other⌟ servants.
- 2 Kings 21:3He rebuilt the illegal places of worship that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He set up altars dedicated to Baal and made a pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah as King Ahab of Israel had done. Manasseh, like Ahab, worshiped and served the entire army of heaven.
- 2 Chronicles 21:13Instead, you have followed the ways of the kings of Israel. You, like Ahab’s family, have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to chase after foreign gods as if they were prostitutes. You have killed your brothers, your father’s family. Your brothers were better than you.
- Micah 6:16You have kept Omri’s laws and all the practices of the descendants of Ahab, and you have followed their advice. That is why I will ruin you. Your people will be ridiculed. You will bear the disgrace of my people.”
- 2 Kings 8:26Ahaziah was 22 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter of King Omri of Israel.
- 1 Kings 21:25There was no one else like Ahab. At the urging of his wife, he sold himself to do what the Lord considered evil.
- 2 Chronicles 18:1Jehoshaphat was wealthy and honorable and became Ahab’s in-law.
- 2 Chronicles 19:2Jehu, son of the seer Hanani, asked King Jehoshaphat, “Why do you help wicked people and love those who hate the Lord? The Lord’s anger is directed toward you because you have done this.
- 2 Chronicles 21:6He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as Ahab’s family had done, because his wife was Ahab’s daughter. So he did what the Lord considered evil.
- 2 Chronicles 22:1The people of Jerusalem made Jehoram’s youngest son Ahaziah king in his place, because the raiders who came to the camp with the Arabs had killed all the older sons. So Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became king of Judah.
- Genesis 6:1The number of people increased all over the earth, and daughters were born to them.
- Deuteronomy 7:3Never marry any of them. Never let your daughters marry their sons or your sons marry their daughters.
- 1 Kings 11:1King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh’s daughter. He loved Hittite women and women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon.
- Nehemiah 13:25So I reprimanded those Jews, cursed them, beat some of them, and pulled out their hair. I made them swear by God: “We won’t allow our daughters to marry their sons, and we won’t allow their daughters to marry us or our sons.”
Commentaries on 2 Kings 8:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18The daughter of Ahab was his wife - This was the infamous Athaliah; and through this marriage Jehoshaphat and Ahab were confederates; and this friendship was continued after Ahab's death.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16-19Verses 16-19 The passage is parenthetic, resuming the history of the kingdom of Judah from 1 Kings 22:50. 2 Kings 8:16 The opening words are - “In the fifth year of Joram, son of Ahab, king of Israel, and of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah;” but they contradict all the other chronological notices of Jehoshaphat 1 Kings 22:42, 1 Kings 22:51; 2 Kings 3:1; 2 Chronicles 20:31, which give him a reign of at least twenty-three years. Hence, some have supposed that…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-24Verses 16-24 A general idea is given of Jehoram's badness. His father, no doubt, had him taught the true knowledge of the Lord, but did ill to marry him to the daughter of Ahab; no good could come of union with an idolatrous family.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18did evil in the sight of the LORD: He married Ahab's daughter, Athaliah, and followed the kings of Israel by worshiping idols. Some believe Psalm 45 was written for Jehoram and Athaliah's marriage, which united the royal families of Judah and Israel (see Psalm 45:12; Athaliah was Jezebel's daughter, the princess of Tyre). Although the marriage temporarily united the kingdoms, it led to terrible spiritual consequences. Influenced by Athaliah, Jehoram…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. daughter of Ahab--Athaliah, through whose influence Jehoram introduced the worship of Baal and many other evils into the kingdom of Judah (see 2Ch 21:2-20). This apostasy would have led to the total extinction of the royal family in that kingdom, had it not been for the divine promise to David (2Sa 7:16). A national chastisement, however, was inflicted on Judah by the revolt of Edom, which, being hitherto governed by a tributary ruler (2Ki 3:9; 1Ki…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 8:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Kings 8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries